Chapter 34: 30
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Watching the progress bar in front of him, Alex Carter felt a twinge of anxiety.
He knew full well that once the progress bar filled up, it meant the hacker had pinpointed his location.
Escaping would no longer be as straightforward as before.
"Looks like I'm going to let Panam down..."
Alex shook his head, finally deciding to withdraw.
After all, the Scavs were notoriously ruthless.
Though he had powerful weapons like the Widow Maker sniper, bio-grenades, and the Widow Maker rifle, taking on so many would be reckless.
In the game, he had to employ hit-and-run tactics.
Here, with five hundred adversaries, an all-out assault was suicidal.
But just as Alex was about to retreat...
"Beep beep beep..."
With three light beeps, the warning and progress bar vanished from his view.
This indicated the hacker's detection had failed.
"Huh? What's happening? Did something disrupt them?"
Alex was perplexed.
Usually, such an interruption meant the hacker had been distracted by something.
But he hadn't done anything yet.
Just as Alex was puzzling over this, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Ding, the Blacklight Virus has successfully evolved, acquiring the abilities [Electronic Shielding] and [Prosthetic Assimilation]."
[Electronic Shielding]: The Blacklight Virus can be converted into a biomass shell that blocks network signals at designated locations when needed; note, this blocking is bidirectional.
[Prosthetic Assimilation]: The Blacklight Virus has the ability to temporarily assimilate inorganic substances, greatly enhancing the performance of prosthetics; note, the assimilation process consumes a lot of energy.
"!!!"
Looking at the two new skills, Alex was ecstatic.
The Blacklight Virus had truly evolved!
And it was a new branch that had never appeared in the original series!
While [Electronic Shielding] wasn't an offensive evolution, in a cyberpunk world where cyber hackers could kill their targets without them knowing, it was a lifesaving network body armor!
The other ability, [Prosthetic Assimilation], offered strong auxiliary benefits!
With [Electronic Shielding] as a safeguard, Alex moved toward the entrance once more.
After easily taking down all the guards, he waved to Panam, signaling her to come over.
"It's getting dark now, what's the plan?" Panam asked.
"A frontal assault won't work, but I have another idea."
Alex grinned as he removed the backpack from his shoulders, then pointed to the exhaust duct above the entrance.
"A place using a cave as a hideout would have this kind of exhaust system to bring in fresh air and prevent suffocation."
"We'll start from there."
With that, Alex took out two gas masks from his backpack.
"Here, put this on."
"Are you going to... gas them?" Panam asked, looking at the gas mask in her hand and seeming to understand Alex's plan.
Alex chuckled: "Something like that, but I can't get my hands on anything as dangerous as poison gas."
"Then what..."
Alex opened the backpack, revealing a large bag of pale yellow powder.
"This is something I picked up on Twilight Market last night!"
"The powder, when mixed with water or dispersed in the air, ensures they'll be too high to resist."
Hearing Alex's words, Panam's eyes lit up: "Damn, that's a solid plan!"
"Then what are we waiting for, let's do it!"
...
Inside the cave, clusters of Scavs gathered in groups of three.
Some discussed how thrilling the latest Braindance was.
Others gossiped about the transport they hijacked and the ransom they demanded.
"Hey, do you smell something?"
"Yeah... it smells kind of sweet, like a woman's perfume."
"Perfume? Now that you mention it, I'm itching to hit the city and visit Twilight Market."
"Man, why do you suddenly seem so good-looking?"
"It's getting hot... ah, maybe..."
Unbeknownst to them, the nearly five hundred members inside the cave began to succumb to the sweet aroma wafting in.
Even certain... unusual sounds began to fill the air.
The whole scene was spiraling out of control!
...
"My eyes are going blind!" Alex exclaimed, covering his eyes as he simultaneously dispatched two entwined Scav members.
Panam, beside him, moved forward with a flushed face.
For a woman, this kind of scene was a bit too intense.
But one had to admit, while Alex's plan was a bit unorthodox, it worked remarkably well.
The Scavs, lost in a drug-induced haze, didn't even think to resist when they saw them.
Soon, Alex and Panam, both wearing gas masks, made their way unimpeded into the hideout.
Seeing the scenes unfolding around him, Alex groaned and covered his eyes again.
Under the influence of the drugs, people who would normally be picky were now entangled, and the scene was no less shocking than a wild night at a club.
"Hurry, find the car, get the goods, and leave this madhouse!" Alex urged.
Panam nodded, scanning the open area until she spotted her car, the Outlaw, and the goods on it.
Unfortunately, atop the Outlaw were two burly men...
"That's Nash! And Acklow, the leader of the Scavs!" Panam exclaimed with glee.
"Son of a... they've got what's coming to them!"
Raising her sniper rifle, Panam aimed at Nash's forehead.
But at that moment, Nash was too preoccupied with the even bigger Acklow to notice Panam.
"Bang!"
With a familiar muffled sound, both bodies, now only partly intact, fell off the Outlaw.
"Alright, you've got your car and the goods, and your revenge is complete. Let's get the hell out of here."
Alex spoke, eager to get in the car.
This eye-searing place was too much, and he worried he'd regret seeing it tomorrow.
Hearing Alex, Panam quickly jumped into the driver's seat.
"Let's roll!"
...
The Outlaw roared as it sped away, finally coming to a stop in the open wilderness.
Gazing back at the cave, Alex asked curiously, "What are you planning to do with the remaining Scavs?"
"I've already notified the Aldecaldos. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see this," Panam replied with a satisfied smile.
Then she casually unzipped her jacket.
"Alex, don't you think it's a bit hot in here..."